Utah Fly Fishing

Build a Better Sow Bug

In this video there are tips on tying a quick, durable sow bug fly pattern that imitates one of trout’s favorite foods. Learn how to tie a sow bug that will get down quickly, and stick fish after fish.

The craziest thing about sow bugs is if you can find one, you’ll find a million! There are a few rivers that I fish that are chucked full of these little pill bug look alikes. Trout always seem to grow big and fat when their diet consists of sow bugs.

A few years ago on a very memorable spring morning I found myself with two of my good fishing friends Brad and Phil. We were fishing one of our favorite River here in Utah which is know for its thick sow bug population as well as a healthy population of brown trout with some nice Bonneville cutthroat scattered throughout. We hadn’t been fishing long when we came upon a beautiful pocket that was bound to hold fish. Phil began by pulling out a nice brown, but with a good portion of the hole left to fish he stood aside and let me take a cast. Now that’s a good friend! Moments later I pulled out a snakey 19″ brown that despite being skinny put up a good fight. The hole was producing well! Phil then hopped back in and pulled out another decent brown, and once again was kind enough to stand aside and let me take another stab at it. The very next cast I found myself hooked up on the nicest river cutthroat I have ever caught. A beautiful 22″ cuttie with shoulders came zipping out of the hole and tried to head down stream. Moments later, and just like the 19″ brown I had caught only a few cast before, I saw that it was my size 14 Rainbow Sow Bug that was tucked tight in the corner pocket of the fish’s jaw.

I highly recommend you give this fly pattern a shot. I’m overly confident in it’s ability to catch fish, and as a bonus its a quick tie that won’t fall apart on you. Tie some up!

Remember to like (Thumbs Up) and share the video below if you think others will enjoy it as well.

Have you ever wondered what it looks like underwater when a fish eats your fly? Some follow for a while curious but unwilling, while others attack the fly the moment it hits the water! Filming this video was insightful to say the least, and although fly fishing high mountain lakes may not always produce large fish, the excitement is second to none.

Did you notice the fly box in the video? If you haven’t checked out Tacky Fly Boxes you should! Learn more at http://tackyflyfishing.com/ I’m currently transitioning from foam slit fly boxes to the silicone slit Tacky boxes for the majority of my flies. This box will enhance your fly fishing experience!

Most of the fish caught in this video were taken on a fly called Mason’s Houdini. It is an articulated leech pattern that fish (not only trout) can’t resist. Check it out, and other awesome fly patterns at http://rainysflies.com/

There are certain times of year that you expect to receive guide trip inquiries from out of towners. For instance, around the fourth of July (give or take a week or two) the green drake hatch is in full swing on the middle Provo and any guide would expect to have a lot of interested potential clients knocking at ones door. Conversely, the middle of January is down right slow here in Utah with regards to guiding. It’s not that the fishing is bad because it isn’t. I’m confident its because most people who come to Utah when the ground is white and frozen are here to play in the “greatest snow on earth”. It makes sense. I think that’s why I was a little surprised when I was asked to take a couple fishermen out on a “Euro Nymphing” specific guide trip. I quickly became enthused at the idea of teaching my preferred technique to a couple of strangers from Nebraska.

If you are not familiar with Euro Nymphing, it is a tight line technique that puts you directly in touch with fish that eat your nymphs. I’m not going to go into specifics here, but it is hands down the most deadly nymphing technique I have found for most subsurface situations. For a great crash course in Euro Nymphing you can check out my buddies blog at The Tactical Fly Fisherman.

Derek and I were both open that day, so he came along to help out and spend some time on the river. Our two clients were both capable fisherman who quickly picked up on the technique.

Being that we were throwing to semi-lethargic trout in cold mountain water we switched up flies quite a bit to find the right combination that would produce the most fish. Turns out the Lickety Split (PMD), and the Prince Kohler out produced our other patterns. Click on these links for fly tying videos on these two great patterns.Both of these nymph patterns catch fish throughout the year. I highly recommend tying them up and trying them out. Odds are they will find a permanent home in your nymph box.

Despite fishing in the middle of the winter, we were able to pass along a valuable technique to our new friends, and hook into a handful of beautiful trout. I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon outdoors in the middle of January here in Utah. Maybe that’s because I don’t ski/snowboard? Either way, I wouldn’t trade a day to play in the frozen stuff when I have the flowing stuff to entertain me. Tight lines out there!